BJP to petition EC to disqualify 8 MLAs

Puducherry: The BJP on Monday said it would submit a petition to the Election Commission, seeking disqualification of eight MLAs of ruling Congress and its ally DMK here for 'holding offices of profit'.

Speaking to reporters here, BJP's local unit President V Saminathan alleged that eight MLAs (six of Congress and two of DMK) were now simultaneously holding posts of chairmen of the Puducherry government sponsored statutory bodies. A Congress legislator has also been functioning as Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister, he said.

"We will urge the Election Commission through a petition to disqualify all these eight legislators as they are holding offices of profit", Saminathan said.

He pointed out that the MLAs were in the same situation as that of the 20 AAP legislators of the Delhi Assembly, who had been disqualified for holding offices of profit.

The BJP would seek the Election Commission`s action to disqualify the legislators here.

He alleged that Chief Minister Narayanasamy had appointed the MLAs as chairmen and Parliamentary Secretary with a hidden agenda to prevent a crisis to his government, though the statutory bodies were facing a strain on their financial sources, to meet expenditure for various perks to them. The BJP's announcement to approach the EC to disqualify the MLAs for allegedly holding office of profit comes a couple of days after the opposition AIADMK made a similar announcement.